Celebrate a warm up

Oh what a day!

I edited the top of this before I printed it because I realized most of this, OK all of this is just BLAH- BLAH -BLAH about my last few days-feel free to skip it :C I go into quite the rant. Sorry to be a downer.

I so appreciate the concern from many of you, with me being absent today.  Long story-short, today the kids had no school due to more snow :C I think they will be in school through the summer if this keeps up-and I spent about 4 hours at the orthopedist with Alexa-who is now no longer going to be caring for MY daughter-ever again!

Yes I said a total of  4 hours!! With 3 kids! MISERY!!!!!!!!

He didn’t listen to me when I took her for her compalints of joint pain 2 years ago-which as you know turned out to be Leukemia, he said she was just complaining for nothing-despite my persisitence she NEVER complains, and something had to be wrong. Anyway today I realized my distaste for him wasn’t unjustified! He proved to be the same arrogant, and RUDE person I remembered.

I wont go any further, trust me.

Well I want to end today by saying thank you for all the concern and well wishes re: my headache’s. Each one hasn’t been a migraine, but pretty bad, for the most part.

Many mentioned caffeine-and cutting back. THIS IS KILLING ME.

You know what is funny (since that is typically true) I have cut down to ONE cup of coffee a day and increased my water intake. Im talking like 12 cups of h2o, in the bathroom every half hour. I am exhausted, and definitely withdrawing from it! LOL!

Im so exhausted.I have been exercising everyday as well. I am determined that by May 3rd-I will look and FEEL great. I have a goal and I know I can do it. I lost weight after Alexa, and Noah, and even Amber. So it will be WORK-saying NO to bad stuff, or just treating myself to a LITTLE bit, in place of a lot . Deprivation is NEVER a good idea, cause you eat EVERYTHING else to avoid that one little piece of whatever-only to then end up eatting that thing anyway!

Jason always say’s I’m perfect (as he should! LOL! ) but “I” want to be in SHAPE for ME! Plus I have more than a few pounds that crept up on me over the last few months that I want GONE. I only started Monday and already lost enough to NOT have to do a funny “squeeze into my jeans dance, because Ill be darned if Im going UP a size”! Today they went right on, no muffin top! LOL!

Its amazing what cutting back on sugar and soda will do-actually eatting breakfast, nothing past 7pm and and exercising can do!! I have a 20 min boxing video I love called Turbo Jam. You can lose 10 lbs and 10 inches in 10 days-seriously it works! BUT you will hurt in places you didn’t know you had!

As for the play place-it was AWESOME!! The kids I had in my group were great, and all of them were well behaved. It was actually fun. Now I want to take my own kids there. I told the teacher’s I want the same group, every field trip! LOL! It did totally wear me out and I attempted a nap after.

OK that was WAY long winded. Sorry!

I haven’t had much ambition to stamp due to my head aches, so tonight is SIMPLE!! A warm up card, since my mojo decided to go on vacation, without notifying me! So I apologize I got nothing earth shattering-till tomorrow.

I got inspired by a $1 gift bag from taget, and made this in like 5 minutes. Took longer to photograph.

The set is by Inkadinkadoo, and the celebrate you is from Simple Wishes by Papertrey Ink.

I do have a couple cards I made using suggestions for color combo’s from all of you!! YOU ALL ROCK! I printed all the comments so when I need a masculine combo!

So tomorrow-mid morning-Ill have my sketch posted, using a soon to be released set

Stay tuned-and thanks for listening to my rant-

Lauren

 Daisy’s Book cover

Well I had to post this before it got too late. I still can’t believe it. I have some of the BESTEST Friends/Blog buddies and reader’s in the WORLD! Seriously-I am so blessed.

First the PSF’s create a Disney Make-A-Wish scrap book, and people send hundreds of cards, and amazing things in between to this!

If you read my blog regularly you know about my cockapoo Daisy. She is now 6 months old.  Now before her, I was not what I would call a “dog” person, but now I’m definitely a Daisy person!

When we first saw Daisy I fell in love with her! The worst part was “I” didn’t even want a dog-but she changed that!

Now I can’t imagine our family without her.

Who else gets that excited just to see you in the morning, or when you get them their food? No one in my house, but Daisy does! LOL!

I was SHOCKED, and FLOORED- when my PSF Kathie (and her fur babies Hazel, and buttface, I mean um, Mr. French (Hazel likes to call him buttface :C) sent me this AMAZING book for Daisy.

She gave me permission to post it. Kathie if you have it somewhere else, let me know so I can link it!

It was wrapped in a dog food bag-cut up (which was SUPER adorable) with dog paw ribbon and a dog bone! Should have gotten a photo, but I was TOO excited.

She even included the CUTEST letter from her furbabies! With a photo of them

Kathie THANK YOU so very much for this gift. It is next to me everyday! I am in awe of its beauty, and the time, thought and talent that went into every page!

THANK YOU-Hugs, Kisses and Daisy drools!
Here it is-Enjoy!

 Page 1-2 How can you resist her?

 page 3-4 AWE! This was the minute wqew got her “home”. Love it!

 page 5-6 I love her sleepy photo’s. She loves that blanket too.

 page 7-8 This page cracked me up!

 page 9-10 She included real toilet paper! LOL!

 page 11-12 Yes she is adorable-new haircut is looking great now too!!

 page 13-14 Yes-she is still naughty!!

I had to share every page with you!!!

Kathie was SO beyond sweet to take the time to make me a photo book of some of my favorite picture’s  have shared with you all here in Blog land, of my Daisy!!

I can’t imagine the time it took her to do this, and now I have to think of an OVER THE TOP, fabulous card to thank her with!

PLEASE leave your opinions as to ideas of a FABULOUS card I could come up with! It can be a stamp image, shape, any idea!!

Here is a photo of her in Noah’s room, after the re-make! She had to get in every photo.

Thanks everyone!

Till later-

Lauren

Oh man. I hurt. But I feel so happy that I wanted to share it.

 Do you ever get an idea for a project (OK non card project), and once your decide to put that project in motion you CAN’T wait?

Maybe its my OCD? I always make “lists” of things to do, and cross off as I go. I get a thrill everytime something is accomplished.

Well “I” got the bright idea to re-do the kids rooms Sunday afternoon. Just sitting there looking at all their CRAP!

So we went and bought what I thought was needed.

UGH!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I felt the rooms needed a make-over, a face lift of sorts. Also it wastime for my quarterly room review! This is when I got through all their toys and weed out what we don’t need, won’t use, and have wrecked or outgrown.

Since getting this “idea”, I was told by Jay we would execute it this weekend. Together we we purge, organize, paint, move furniture scrub every little thing owned.

Girls room first-repaint, new bedding, curtains decor-you get the idea. Amber needs a big girl bed-she is in a toddler bed now.

Well I woke up, had a good cup of coffee, and instead of stamping “I” spent the ENTIRE day puring, organizing, moving furniture, washing everything-walls, windows blinds nick-knacks you name it, and YES! Painted the entire room myself-all done and put back together, before Jay even got home!

The room looks so clean-and sweet. Once I finish the last details it will be perfect.

Now I hurt…………………………….everywhere!

Their room is now a pretty SOFT yellow, with like a Pink Passion and touch of orchid opulence!

Its a girly room-with alot less clutter, and their Princess and other girly things look great!
This weekend we will get Amber’s bed and a new rug. I also want to get 2 plastic picket fence panels to use as their headboards-then hang a flower garland across them.

Then-onto Noahs room! I am tempted to do his tomorrow-BUT I need to go to Target first to get his room decor stuff.

Despite the pain, I feel SO much better now that most of the work is over!

OK Sorry to ramble-I just had to let out a huge sigh and relish in my accomplishment of the day.

I also got the houser cleaned and dinner made-now THAT is a true miracle. Tomorrow is definitely Pizza night! Oh yeah and totally a stamp day-all three have school! YEAH!!!!

Well thanks for reading-if you did! LOL!

EDITED TO ADD: I will share photo’s once I get Amber’s bed and and the carpet Oh yeah- and its not anything like a pottery barn catalog! I wouldn’t be able to let them play in it if it was! LOL! So sometime next week I should be DONE getting the accessories

As you all read, our dog Daisy was due for a grooming! Many of you asked to see Daisy after her make-over!

She has longer fur than most cockapoo’s (one of the reason’s I thought she was SO CUTE), and is buff colored, with copper ears.

Anyway from all the snow, and rain with mudd,  she was looking a little scraggley! I normally give her a bath, but since she needed a trim, figured Id get it done professionally!

I dont even think she could see anymore! LOL! Here is the photo the morning before her grooming

 Daisy & Alexa

See-where are her eyes? LOL!

Now we have the after

 Daisy & Noah

There is her face!

She looked SO different. I wasn’t use to her body hair being so short! They shaved her “under-carriage” as I call it, and her hiney-for sanitary reasons, but I didn’t expect the rest of her to be shorter.

She is SUPER soft, and smells great! She was FUR BALL when I picked her up! LOL!

She looks really cute though-well her face anyway. You can see her sweet eyes now! I just think I have to get used to it KWIM?

Put it this way-we brought Daisy to the groomer when Alexa was at school.

When she returned home, Daisy ran up to greet her and Alexa said “Oh boy! We got a new puppy!”

Um, no Alexa-THAT is our puppy!

UGH! Pinch me! I think I’m awake.

I hope I’m not, but I’m pretty sure I am. Its another dental nightmare.

PLEASE-if you are putting off taking your kids to the dentist DON’T. I don’t care if you legs are falling off-don’t go through what I am.

OK so in one of my posts, I went on how I was FINALLY taking the kids to the dentist-that I wasn’t going to let myself feel bad for NOT taking them in 2 years because all our family had going on.

Alexa was the only one who has been before. When Noah turned of age-Alexa got cancer, and blah, blah, blah, a million excuses later, that amount to nothing.

Well now I feel like the WORST parent in the world! I wanted to die when I heard the “news”.

So we take the kids. Who ALL were totally AWESOME! The dental people ROCKED!!! OMG! I was so happy with the way they did things with them.

Amber was just so good-especially for a 3yo! I did take my camera but it died right there! That was a huge sign. A sign I would want NO documented PROOF of what a horrible parent I am.

Amber got a clean bill of health! YEAH! One kid-good. She did the x-rays like a PRO!

Alexa-only got an exam. Due to her counts and chemo tomorrow. She couldn’t get x-rays either, because in case the slides cut the inside of her mouth it could result in a serious infection. She will ahve one in 2 weeks-count dependent. She also has thrush from all the daily antibiotics she is on to fight her own germs! FUN!

She has one “possible” cavity that they want to put a Veneer on. That is HUNDREDS of dollars, out of pocket! But its a permanent tooth, and in the FRONT! So worth it in the end. Also not bad considering people with DS have little enamel, and she has had MONTHS -(yes I said months) where I could NOT brush her teeth due to severe mouth sores from her chemo-she drinks LOTS of water and doesn’t eat allot of candy, so that saved her! I have no guilt with her cause I seriously did my best, given her situation.

Oh now for the KICKER!

NOAH-

He was the cutest, sweetest, funniest kid getting his cleaning. Just awesome.

I had a inkling Noah had a cavity at the bottom right. He complained Sunday-so I immediately made an appointment.

Um yeah can you say FIVE!!! Yes FIVE CAVITIES!!!

2 being very deep! one in his front baby teeth!

Let me say before I go on, I also help the kids brush their teeth so I am just astonished by this.

WHAT!

How does a 5 yo get that many cavities?

Believe me-I make my kids brush their teeth at least twice a day. There is a very occasional morning that the bus arrives a little too early and it doesn’t get done, but first thing when they get home, those suckers are scrubbed.

Myself having dental woes never wanted my kids to.

Anyway-Noah has to go back, in 2 weeks and the the child equivalent of 2 route canals!

SHOOT ME PLEASE!! The poor kid. All because I put off taking him to the dentist till I had to.

OMG! He is going to HATE the dentist forever. Its going to cost a small fortune too. Since insurance doesn’t cover much for route canals, nor the Nitrous! Which for a kid I totally dont understand.

I’m glad I didn’t get my stuff fixed so I can pay to get him all fixed up first.

Oh look at all my ((!!!!!!)). Can you tell Im freaking out?

Anyway-I chalk it up to drinking too much juice-too many gummy candies, and now I have a TON of guilt.

I could seriously cry.

Even though I did clean their teeth, I bribe them during our tough moments with candy, and now look.

They are paying the price.

What kind of parent does that make me?

Who does that? What an awful thing I have done to Noah.

Sorry to go off, Im just at such an emotional crisis.

I know I have been through worse, but I feel like those things I had no control over, I certainly have control over letting my kids get gummy treats as a reward, AND taking them to the dentist.

They did say it could just be his system harbors more bacteria but c’mon!

OK I need to go.

If you are still reading this thanks for listening, and sorry for the endless ramble.

So now that we have some ground, we sometimes let Diasy play outside for a few minutes, in the driveway, while on the leash. Only when she really wants to stay out.

She can’t be in the yard yet, cause her place is not ready, and we still ahve several feet of snow.

So this afternoon I tied her up, and I went inside to start lunch.

8 minutes later………………………Came out to see this-

Look at that face? If she could talk I think she would say “Oops! Did I do that?”

She immediately sat down, and gave me this pathetic face-only a doggy mom could love.

OK Im sorry if this post bother’s you or offends you but I just could NOT resist.

What do you get when you have a new puppy, and a 5 year old, who doesn’t wear shoe’s?

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You get one unhappy boy, who stepped in a pile of puppy poop!

I couldn’t resist taking this picture, I did refrain from the photographing him throwing up as Jason cleaned off his foot

Gotta love it.

Well you would NOT believe what I bought!

Everyone talks about this new online shopping place called ETSY. The purpose of it is for people/crafter’s (like us), to have a place to buy and sell HANDMADE stuff. Its pretty cool.

OMG! I could spend ALL day just browsing, and drooling over stuff. You can add items to your favorites or even seller’s.

PLUS I thinking its cool to be able to support crafter’s like ourselves.

Anyway-I LOVE Amy Butler paper. Its put out by K & Co.

 Well, to my surprise she (Amy Butler) makes FABRIC line people!! HELLO! Gorgeous fabric! Just like my favorite pieces of cardstock! Its like 2 worlds colliding with LOVELY patterns! LOL!

So upon browsing Etsy, I began my search looking at handbag’s. A girl can NEVER have too many right?

I am normally into getting the newest Vera Bradley stuff. So I said WHY NOT try out some new HANDMADE version right?

So, after browsing the handbag’s section, I found this one particular seller at bagladiesinpa’s shop (her name is Lisa). I was SO drawn to her stuff. Fresh, clean yet funky and fun. I were a bag I would be one of hers.

 I use to sew, and can SO appreciate handmade bags and stuff, cause I could NEVER do anything like that, nor would I want to.

After looking at her collections,  I saw a style bag she made that I LOVED! But not in a FABRIC that I had to have.  I had seen other bag’s with a Amy Butler fabric I WANTED it in. So I PM’d her, and asked her if she could make me her “Cleo style” bag, using the “Lace-work” fabric by Amy Butler. Basically customize a bag for me-LOL!

She got back to me, and said she would! She also made some “accessories” that I had to have too! Smart woman.

Her photos and descriptions were great and helpful. Her communication ROCKED, as did her overall customer service.

She is a MYTIME approved seller :D. I am VERY picky so that is a HUGE compliment.

Here is what I got!

NOTE: This photo was copy/pasted from her site. I figure since I am giving her a good review she won’t mind!

 Bag, check book cover, zip bag, and key toggle

When it was done she contacted me to let me know it was listed if I still wanted it! (UM YEAH!!!! I asked for it)

After she shipped it was on my door 3 days later!

It came beautifully wrapped-so professional. Her communication ROCKED!

When I saw the bag and items, it was even BETTER in person! Very well made.

What a great experience I had. I am now buying my bag’s handmade from her, here on out.

FYI I am not related to this person, or anything. I just HAD to share my experience with all of you, cause I know only YOU could appreciate my babble about a bag-especially since its created from the same style of paper I’m addicted too!

I’ll be back later with some “stamping related” stuff to share.

OK, if you have more than one child, you MAY be able to appreciate this.

Normally this stuff does not seem funny to me until it is LONG over.

People will always ask ” Did you take a picture?”

Normally I give a look like “Are YOU insane? NO I didn’t take a picture”. But this was rather amusing.

I NEEDED to get some stamp stuff done. I needed a whopping 45 minutes of “my time”, or I was going to go INSANE!

 My kids were fighting like well……………let’s say a pack of wild animals. Sometimes, when I have really had it with the bickering, and the million time outs, I will retreat to my stamp “cave”. Its better for ALL of us to take a breather.

I can hear everything they are doing-which is good in a safety sense, but not a sanity sense sometimes! LOL!

Alexa and Amber have been at eachother throats lately. Alexa isn’t feeling great, and is on edge, and Amber is continuously provoking her.

I am in my stamp room and hear the bickering.

Alexa yelling “Take a break. Get in there. You need a time out. Get in there.”

I’m thinking oh great-here we go. More fighting.

Amber is crying “Let me out!” as well as other things I cant make out. Time to intervene

She is screeching her lungs out, and daisy starts barking-THAT is unusual. She is not a barker.

So I come flying upstairs, to interviene, only to see this

Alexa LOCKED Amber in the dog crate!

Daisy is sitting in front of it barking, and Alexa is happily watching TV.

I grabbed my camera, to which Amber’s tears were quickly turned off, and was then all happy about it.

NOW that is a good time out spot!

Just kidding………………………………………..but you have to admit its pretty funny. I was unsure if I should make Alexa go in there for her time out for shoving her sister into a dog crate!

Lucky for her she isn’t feeling so hot.

Now these are they days Im not so sure I will miss when they are all grown.

Ok so maybe I AM turning into a crazy dog lover!

I call her Daisy Doodle, and Alexa calls her Crazy Daisy. Its really cute to see the kids participate in her care by following commands, and giving rewards, putting her in and out of the crate, feeding, brushing, and of course playing.

I had to share this photo of Daisy with her adorable PINK doggy coat

C’mon you KNOW I was going to have to get her outfits! LOL! She is too adorable not too. She actually likes it. (I think). She is very compilable with whatever I want to do. I think its great I get to start her out like that

But, I had to share my success with all of you, since you did help me with all your advice So thanks. I especially appreciated the phone calls and emails I received. Really helpful.

Daisy has her first appointment tomorrow, and it should only cost me well over a $100. YIKES :C Now there goes my stocking stuffer’s! LOL! I think she’ll fit in there nicely.

I also want to direct you, who have dogs, to this place—->Ask Me Dogs, that I found, which is like a SCS, but for DOG OWNERS!!! How cool is that? It has an online pet expert that can help with any question, as well as other owner’s give helpful advice.

So I wanted you all to know after all the advice I did the following………………which has lead to success!

No Success Story

 Tuesday-  I deciding to TRY to let Daisy have the run of the kitchen (used lots of gates), instead of being crated. What’s weird is she goes in the crate at times on her own during the day, and when I leave or can’t watch her every move (today I made my bed, and she found and ate a crayon Alexa left on the floor while coloring ;C). She doesn’t mind it all. No crying, fussing or freaking. Totally happy to chill. Come night time-watch out.

OK Night comes- I have her gated in the kitchen, which is good size, and cord safe :D. I kept her crate open, but thought if she could see us it should work. Our room is off the Kitchen. Well she jumped, and jumped and jumped till she knocked it over! Came into our room, and tried to jump up on our King size bed-Um, yeah, not happening. She cried and cried-so I decided that SLEEP would WIN. I then let Daisy sleepwith us. Jason was so NOT happy. But, you wouldn’t even know she was there. She was very good. She woke me up twice in the middle of the night, by nudging my arm, went out for a potty break, then back to bed. I realized I didn’t want this to be long term, so made the decision for the following night to stick it out, be consistent, and try something that would hopefully work.

Just like kids right?? Now is the time to NOT instill BAD habits.

Now Wednesday Night

I keep her crate open. Put up all the gates in the kitchen. I move her bed to the doorway, where there is the gate, but she can see us sleep (thanks Dawn and Bobbie). I then swaddle her like a baby in this blanket that she dores (it was Noah’s when he was a baby). She loves to be swaddled-funny huh??

I included my t-shirt, and her favorite stuffed squirrel. Left a nightlight on, and ran the DISHWASHER!!! That seemed to help.

She would get up, and just whine, as oppose to bark, and yelp.

I would tell her down (to make her stop jumping on the gate), and then Daisy Bed. It took several times of me getting up and re wrapping her, and putting her there with the commands. So after several trips I stopped getting up but used my voice, and a snap of my fingers (my mom use to do that with our dogs), and VIOLA. She went to her bed and slept She did wake up at 1:30 and 5 :30 to go out, but then quietly returned to her bed, without fuss!!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now here is a photo of her swaddled in her blanket, on our Suede video rocker chair that she has deemed HERS. You can see her little squeeky squirrel she carries around.

She litterally lets me lay her down and wrap her up. Its Hilarious.

Let me go on and say that Daisy is like the best little thing on 4 paws. Seriously, amazing. She is very well behaved, and is already getting some simple commands. I am using one-to two words to teach her.

I am doing the bell thing as suggested for going out to use the “potty”. She will ring the bell on the door sometimes too! She hardly has any accidents-which I am so thankful for.

She has long curly hair in the “back”. Needless to say she has had 3 baths!!! I never bathed a dog before, but she loves it. Stays perfectly still, then lets me dry her, and brush her. She then let Jay and I cut her hair-NO PROBLEM!

I teach her sit, down, treats, eat, out, fast-fast (that means we are here to potty not sniff the entire yard), and then there is crate-go, and bed Daisy.

I just might actually be able to do this.

So my point was thanks for the advice.

I also think we made the best move buying Daisy. She is a great breed for what we as a family were looking for. Plus she is definitely MY DOG. I am HER PERSON!

I felt like picking her was like a Grey’s Anatomy show, when Meridith says to Derick (when he is deciding over her and Addison) “Pick me, choose me, love me” Yes I am pathetic

That was exactly what I told Jason. I said that is what she is saying. She belongs with us.

He said we made a good choice. She truly is a darling.

OK thats it for my dog insanity. Thanks for bearing with me, as I am so new to this. I know its a stamping blog, but I wanted to share it with you Plus the beauty of a blog is I will never really know if you read it or not, and I can still throw it out there!

NOW I am really going to get stamping! I think I have a “routine” in place, so it may just happen.

Till tomorrow. Don’t forget Saturday Sketch time